:00:42. > :00:46.Conservative conference. These are interesting times for the party.
:00:46. > :00:51.Challenges on the white from UKIP have undermined Westminster
:00:51. > :00:57.backbench confidence in David Cameron's leadership. Meanwhile, the
:00:57. > :01:02.Scottish leader has been under fire. Having stood under a policy of no
:01:02. > :01:10.more devolution, she has now set up a commission under Lord Strathclyde
:01:10. > :01:15.to investigate more devolution. This was a policy of defeating leadership
:01:15. > :01:22.rival Murdo Fraser. And then at the end, an unlikely visitor. First up,
:01:22. > :01:28.the prime minister. Dealing with our debts is not some optional extra, it
:01:28. > :01:32.is a necessity. The argument of the head is clear. We know the risks if
:01:32. > :01:37.we keep on running a massive deficit. You can't borrow your way
:01:37. > :01:45.out of a debt crisis. Do you know how much we spent on servicing, just
:01:45. > :01:50.servicing Labour's debt last year? �47 billion. That is equivalent to
:01:50. > :01:53.the entire NHS budget in Scotland for the next five years. We should
:01:53. > :01:58.not be leaving these debts to our children. The next national
:01:58. > :02:04.challenge that our party must take on is firing up enterprise, hoping
:02:04. > :02:08.an economy that creates well-paid jobs, a match for any where in the
:02:08. > :02:11.world. They sometimes say we are the party of those at the top of the
:02:12. > :02:17.ladder, but that is not true. We are the party of those who want to climb
:02:17. > :02:22.it. That is why my government is pulling out all the stops for them.
:02:22. > :02:26.Corporation tax has been slashed. Jobs tax has been stopped. Broadband
:02:26. > :02:32.money has been rolled out. Edinburgh will soon be a super connected city,
:02:32. > :02:37.with Aberdeen and Perth not far behind. In the last three years,
:02:37. > :02:43.82,000 small businesses have been created in Scotland. Our third
:02:43. > :02:48.challenge is sorting out welfare. Here are three facts. Fact one dash
:02:48. > :02:55.our welfare system has become unaffordable. Last year, we spent
:02:55. > :03:01.�24 billion on housing benefit alone. That is a lot more than we
:03:01. > :03:06.spent on Doctors' salaries in our NHS. Fact two - it has become
:03:06. > :03:12.unsustainable. One in every �7 we spend is spent on working age
:03:12. > :03:18.benefits. Not pensions, but benefits for working age people. Act three
:03:18. > :03:23.minus nine it has become unfair. For years now, the income of those on
:03:23. > :03:27.benefits has risen faster than on wages. That is why we are rolling
:03:27. > :03:31.out the benefits cap so that a family on benefits can't earn more
:03:31. > :03:36.than the average family in work. In this party, we know the value of
:03:36. > :03:40.work, the purpose it gives you, the dignity it brings, the satisfaction
:03:40. > :03:47.of that paycheque at the end of the month. There was one more challenge
:03:47. > :03:52.to meet - keeping our United Kingdom together. Let's look at the debate
:03:52. > :03:58.so far. We said we are better together as one economy with a
:03:58. > :04:02.shared currency. Alex Salmond said no, let's go our separate ways, but
:04:02. > :04:07.keep the pound. How does that work? Has Alex Salmond not seen what has
:04:07. > :04:10.happened in Europe over the past two years? You can't make a currency
:04:11. > :04:16.union work without a political union. We said we are better
:04:16. > :04:20.together, to protect jobs in Scotland's defence industry. Alex
:04:20. > :04:24.Salmond said no, we are scaremongering. But what is the
:04:24. > :04:28.evidence? There are 12,000 people employed across Scotland by defence
:04:28. > :04:34.companies, backed by a British defence budget that is the fourth
:04:34. > :04:43.largest in the world. We said our banking system is better together.
:04:43. > :04:47.Again, Alex Salmond said no. Listen to this. Cyprus's banking system was
:04:47. > :04:52.seven times the size of its economy. Iceland's banking system
:04:52. > :04:58.was nine times the size of its economy. I don't have to remind you
:04:58. > :05:03.what happened there. Do you know how big Scotland's banking system would
:05:03. > :05:08.be if we were to separate? It would be 12 times the size of the Scottish
:05:09. > :05:18.economy. If there is one thing we have learned from the financial
:05:19. > :05:19.
:05:19. > :05:25.crisis, you can't have banks that are too big to fail. Our United
:05:25. > :05:28.Kingdom's history has always been one of shared endeavour, proud in
:05:28. > :05:32.our individual identities, but working together for a common good.
:05:32. > :05:36.We saw it when our soldiers fought together under one flag on the
:05:36. > :05:39.beaches of Normandy. We saw it when our doctors came together to build
:05:39. > :05:44.one NHS. We saw it in the scientific breakthroughs we have made
:05:44. > :05:47.together, from the television to penicillin, and we saw it last
:05:47. > :05:53.summer as athletes from around Britain, no matter where they were
:05:53. > :05:57.from, draped themselves in one flag. And there is so much more to come.
:05:57. > :06:00.Why wouldn't we want to face the future together? There is no
:06:00. > :06:10.challenge we face today were breaking up Britain is the right
:06:10. > :06:15.cancer. David Cameron's defence of the union was echoed by a guest, the
:06:15. > :06:20.chairman of better together, Alistair Darling. This is a
:06:20. > :06:23.different campaign to the one that most of you are used to fighting. In
:06:23. > :06:26.a general election, you vote for a government and if you don't like
:06:26. > :06:34.them after five years, you can vote them out. This campaign is
:06:34. > :06:40.different. The Nationalists only need to win once, by one vote. After
:06:40. > :06:44.that, there is no going back. Nothing will be the same again. That
:06:44. > :06:52.is why it is important that not only do we win this referendum campaign,
:06:52. > :06:58.but we win it well. I will not be put off asking questions of the
:06:58. > :07:00.nationalist case. When you ask questions of the Nationalists, they
:07:00. > :07:04.say it is negative or scaremongering. Scaremongering
:07:04. > :07:12.actually means you have asked Alex Salmond a question to which he
:07:12. > :07:16.doesn't know the answer. The reason we are entitled to ask these
:07:16. > :07:20.questions is if anyone came to you and said, I have a proposition that
:07:20. > :07:26.will change your life for ever and nothing will be the same again, you
:07:26. > :07:31.are tired to say, tell me why. Does your argument back-up? I would never
:07:31. > :07:36.argue that Scotland could not go it alone, but I do argue that to be
:07:36. > :07:40.dependent on 20% of your tax revenues from one source, North Sea
:07:40. > :07:43.oil, which will inevitably diminish over time, seems unwise. Look what
:07:43. > :07:49.happened to this country, which was so dependent on financial services
:07:49. > :07:54.for its revenue. When the crash came, it made a huge hit to our
:07:54. > :08:00.public finances. Take renewable energy. It only exists because of
:08:00. > :08:04.the UK subsidy. We in Scotland pay 10% into our subsidy and get a third
:08:04. > :08:10.of the benefit back. Does anyone honestly think that the rest of the
:08:10. > :08:15.UK would take the same view if Scotland was a foreign country? It
:08:15. > :08:21.would not do so. In relation to defence, I can't understand the
:08:21. > :08:27.nationalist logic of saying that they will join NATO after a lifetime
:08:27. > :08:33.against it, but the one country with which we have a close link, we want
:08:33. > :08:36.to break our forces away from the rest of the British Army. It makes
:08:36. > :08:44.no sense. These are issues that will be looked at over the next few
:08:44. > :08:47.months. My last point is this. I said that this referendum campaign
:08:47. > :08:51.is different from an election campaign and the stakes could not be
:08:51. > :09:00.higher. Another thing is different, too. This campaign still has 17
:09:00. > :09:03.months to go. These opinion polls are all very nice and encouraging.
:09:03. > :09:08.As Scottish Conservatives, I am sure you know exactly what it is like to
:09:08. > :09:15.be ahead in the polls(!). It is a great feeling for you. But there is
:09:15. > :09:18.a long way to go, and we need everyone, whether in a political
:09:18. > :09:24.party or not, who believes in the case for staying in the UK to make
:09:24. > :09:29.that case. We need every vote. This time, it is not just the votes in
:09:29. > :09:36.the key marginals, it is the votes in every part of Scotland. That is
:09:36. > :09:41.why we need your effort. Brian, some Conservatives argue that if there is
:09:41. > :09:45.a no vote next year, it will be their victory, but will it? That is
:09:45. > :09:50.the customary bragging one gets at a party conference. They will scarcely
:09:50. > :10:00.come to a conference and say they are bystanders in a campaign to save
:10:00. > :10:01.
:10:01. > :10:04.the union. The second word in their name is Unionist, after all. So in
:10:04. > :10:08.the better together campaign, they will be working with other parties,
:10:08. > :10:15.and in the case of labour, with a larger party. The campaign is being
:10:15. > :10:24.led by the former Labour Chancellor, Alistair Darling. So they will be
:10:24. > :10:29.prepared to claim a share of the games, should they win the contest.
:10:29. > :10:34.As far as aeroplanes are concerned, a separate Scotland might get 14
:10:34. > :10:39.fast jets. The defence debate returned to a familiar theme. If you
:10:39. > :10:44.are being charitable, a couple of Hercules and some Apaches.
:10:44. > :10:52.much, and they could all be based in about a quarter of Lossiemouth, so
:10:52. > :10:56.what will happen to the rest of it? Turning to the Navy, if you look at
:10:56. > :11:02.what parts Mr 10%'s naval force might get, there are currently two
:11:02. > :11:07.assumptions. If he gets 10%, he will get a landing craft. For six
:11:07. > :11:14.destroyers, you will get one for six months of the year. There are 13
:11:14. > :11:17.frigates, so now Mr 10% has one ship. Good news. And there are two
:11:17. > :11:21.aircraft carriers being built. I am not sure what 10% is, probably a
:11:21. > :11:29.propeller. So we have a navy that consists of one ship, one half ship
:11:29. > :11:32.for half a year and a presidential barge - I mean, landing craft.
:11:32. > :11:37.Westminster education secretary Michael Gove returned from London to
:11:37. > :11:42.his native Scotland to bat for Britain. We are going to win the
:11:42. > :11:46.referendum next year on Scotland's place in the UK. We will win because
:11:46. > :11:53.Scottish Conservatives have put forward the most coherent,
:11:53. > :11:58.compelling and convincing case for our United Kingdom over the years.
:11:58. > :12:02.When it comes to that momentous day next year, when people vote, as I am
:12:02. > :12:07.convinced they will, to keep this kingdom united because we are better
:12:07. > :12:13.together, it will be our victory, because our party has argued the
:12:13. > :12:18.Unionist case undimmed for years. And our party is arguing the
:12:18. > :12:23.Unionist case with greater passion than ever before now. Why am I
:12:23. > :12:26.convinced we can win? Because I think the good sense of the Scottish
:12:26. > :12:29.people when presented with a proposition as to whether we should
:12:30. > :12:36.end 300 years of history, whether we should end a partnership that has
:12:36. > :12:39.been a force for good across the world, will say emphatically, no.
:12:40. > :12:44.And one of the reasons I am convinced is that the case for the
:12:44. > :12:54.maintenance of the UK is one that is borne out of optimism, hope and
:12:54. > :12:59.generosity. If Scotland chose to become independent, thanks to the
:12:59. > :13:03.native good sense of its people, Scotland could survive as an
:13:03. > :13:08.independent nation. Scotland has great universities. My mum used to
:13:08. > :13:12.work in one of them. Scotland has great schools. I and my sister were
:13:12. > :13:16.educated in them. Scotland has great businesses. My dad used to run one
:13:16. > :13:21.will stop so there is no question that Scotland could survive if it
:13:21. > :13:27.were independent. Don't let anyone talk Scotland down. We never have
:13:27. > :13:33.and never will. But while Scotland could survive as an independent
:13:33. > :13:40.nation, Scotland is stronger, and in particular, Britain is better when
:13:40. > :13:44.we stand together. I don't want Scotland to be an independent nation
:13:44. > :13:50.because I think England and the rest of the UK benefit from the fact that
:13:50. > :13:55.we are stronger together. This is at the heart of my commitment to the
:13:55. > :14:01.UK. I don't want my children to grow up thinking granny and grandad are
:14:01. > :14:06.foreigners. I don't want my children to grow up thinking the country
:14:06. > :14:12.their dad was born in is a foreign land. And I don't want my children
:14:12. > :14:19.to grow up in King that 300 years of proud history has ended because a
:14:19. > :14:23.narrow nationalist vision trumped the generosity of spirit that has
:14:23. > :14:27.characterised these islands throughout our lifetimes. The next
:14:27. > :14:31.question is what might happen if independence is rejected. Should
:14:31. > :14:35.there be more powers for the Scottish Parliament, or are the
:14:35. > :14:38.current powers more than enough? Ruth Davidson set up a commission to
:14:38. > :14:44.discuss that, but some delegates were angry as there was no debate on
:14:44. > :14:54.the conference floor. So it came to a head at a meeting organised by the
:14:54. > :15:06.
:15:06. > :15:11.I would like to state giving more powers is not appeasement, it is
:15:11. > :15:18.not conciliation, it is sound Government for Scotland. If you
:15:18. > :15:23.want more Conservatives in Scotland, lower taxes, genuinely responsible
:15:23. > :15:30.parliaments, you need to stop us being bailed out by the English,
:15:30. > :15:34.you need to have Conservative MSPs to argue for these things. Revival
:15:34. > :15:40.for the Scottish Conservative party requires us to embrace devo-plus.
:15:40. > :15:46.That is not the debate we should be having now. Let's get through the
:15:46. > :15:51.independence referendum and then have that debate. This is what Alex
:15:51. > :15:57.Salmond wants the Unionist parties to do. He wants them to start a
:15:57. > :16:01.bidding war to give him more powers. By all means let's have a debate
:16:01. > :16:07.after the referendum on all of the suggestions you have just made. I
:16:07. > :16:14.would have thought that a party with the word Unionist Int it
:16:15. > :16:20.should be more concerned with preserving the union ban the party.
:16:20. > :16:25.I am convinced he is going to lose the referendum next year and I am
:16:25. > :16:32.convinced the day after he loses it, he will say the people have spoken
:16:32. > :16:38.at it is clear they all want extra powers even if we could not have a
:16:38. > :16:44.question about it. I am off to London to lead the negotiations
:16:44. > :16:49.until the next election. That is why we need more detail. We need
:16:49. > :16:54.more detail on the process that we follow to take that leadership away
:16:54. > :17:01.from him because that leadership should not be led by a nationalist,
:17:01. > :17:05.but a Unionist. We should not be handing gifts to Alex Salmond and
:17:05. > :17:11.weep if we start this bidding war, he will come at the winner. On the
:17:11. > :17:19.other hand Alex has said I am convinced we will win the
:17:19. > :17:25.referendum. I am convinced we will win it. As a responsible party we
:17:25. > :17:31.cannot afford to be reactive, wait until we win and then say, what do
:17:31. > :17:36.we do now? We have to start the generic process of preparing post
:17:37. > :17:41.referendum when we have one and what kind of Government we want in
:17:41. > :17:46.Scotland when we have got this off the agenda and seen off the SNP
:17:47. > :17:51.hopefully for a decade or more. are forgetting the man in the
:17:52. > :17:57.street. The man in the street is not bothering about all the
:17:57. > :18:03.subtleties about what we will decide in advance of the referendum.
:18:03. > :18:09.He wants to have the referendum decided. I tell you party activists
:18:09. > :18:14.will be disillusioned and will get fed up if you are all going to
:18:14. > :18:19.start discussions in advance of what changes there will be to
:18:19. > :18:23.Scotland. I think we are coming back this up the wrong way. This is
:18:23. > :18:28.a debate we are having in Scotland that has been mirrored in every
:18:28. > :18:32.family across Scotland. When we have this referendum next year and
:18:32. > :18:38.we get the result we need, we should not be frightened to sit
:18:38. > :18:41.down with all parties because we have done it during this referendum
:18:41. > :18:47.campaign, worked together, proved we are better together and worked
:18:47. > :18:53.out what is best for Scotland. Less not be frightened about it. Anyone
:18:53. > :19:00.who is here who has got a family and says we never talk about giving
:19:00. > :19:06.power to your family, you are a liar. What we have got already is
:19:06. > :19:16.perfectly adequate but with the problems of education and health.
:19:16. > :19:16.
:19:16. > :19:22.They have to sort it out. But we still lack accountability. He wants
:19:23. > :19:29.his kids educated and his granny treated in hospital, the person in
:19:29. > :19:33.the street. When we say, our party is going to reduce tax and provide
:19:33. > :19:39.you with a first class service and get the economy moving in Scotland,
:19:39. > :19:44.we cannot do that in Scotland. We can do it in England, but we cannot
:19:44. > :19:50.do it in Scotland because we have got limited powers over taxation
:19:50. > :19:55.and spending. The limited powers we have got, we never used. This was
:19:55. > :20:01.the party that opposed devolution in the 1990s. How much unhappiness
:20:01. > :20:04.is there amongst grassroots members about the party changing position?
:20:05. > :20:11.There is a huge degree of uncertainty among the Conservatives
:20:11. > :20:16.as to what to do in the event of no vote. There are those who are
:20:16. > :20:21.hostile to the idea of more powers. There are at those who are
:20:21. > :20:26.sceptical about the idea. They frankly wish the world was other
:20:27. > :20:31.than it is and they wish this was not the agenda. They were against
:20:31. > :20:35.devolution in the first place. But there are at those who are
:20:36. > :20:40.enthusiastic for the proposal because they believe if he
:20:40. > :20:45.broadened the cambers of the powers of the Scottish Parliament, you can
:20:45. > :20:49.paint a conservative picture and you can make an offer that involves
:20:49. > :20:54.low-tax and Lowes spent, but you can only do that if you have the
:20:54. > :21:04.powers available in the first place. The party is honourably divided,
:21:04. > :21:08.but it is divided. Friday afternoon saw a smaller audience at a session
:21:08. > :21:13.dedicated to the future of the party.
:21:13. > :21:18.This is an extra session because we had such a great Conservative
:21:18. > :21:24.Future conference a few weeks ago in Edinburgh. We had over 100 young
:21:24. > :21:30.people and the calibre of those young people is absolutely superb.
:21:30. > :21:36.First up was Jamie Walker who told of his reaction when his mum died.
:21:36. > :21:42.I made a promise to my mum in 2010 that I was going to make her proud.
:21:42. > :21:49.I have been with cancer research as an ambassador and have done a lot
:21:49. > :21:52.of work in key policies in the area of health. I have co-founded the
:21:52. > :21:58.Stirling University students Against Cancer Society. Since my
:21:58. > :22:05.mum died, her illness has had a significant impact upon myself and
:22:05. > :22:10.I am not going to let her down. were attracted to the Conservatives
:22:10. > :22:16.because we were doing something for cancer patients. In Scotland we are
:22:16. > :22:22.three times less likely to get drugs than those in England. It is
:22:22. > :22:28.an inequality, there is no denying it. Jamie is 18 years old and this
:22:28. > :22:32.is what he has done already. Show your appreciation. You are from a
:22:32. > :22:37.slightly different background, you are on order, you are in your
:22:37. > :22:43.twenties, and you work at the JobCentre in dandy. Why did you end
:22:43. > :22:48.up coming to us? I was fortunate enough to be brought up in a
:22:48. > :22:52.politically neutral background and was allowed to make my own choices.
:22:52. > :22:57.I did not have too much of an interest in politics until I
:22:57. > :23:02.started working as an adviser in the JobCentre. You are face to face
:23:02. > :23:07.with unemployment and labour reform and face to face with all the
:23:08. > :23:12.problems in society. The previous Government had a system in which
:23:12. > :23:17.idleness was rewarded. If you were out of work long term, we will give
:23:17. > :23:23.you more money. People would come in with no intention and no
:23:23. > :23:27.ambition to work. I would try and promote work and bettering
:23:27. > :23:33.themselves and the opportunities and they would look at me as if I
:23:33. > :23:37.had two heads. There was no responsibility on their behalf.
:23:37. > :23:42.Whereas now the Conservative Government have come in and it is
:23:42. > :23:48.very much rewarding those who want to work, giving financial
:23:48. > :23:52.incentives to those who want to create opportunities for themselves.
:23:52. > :23:57.It is a fairer welfare system which is in place and I am face-to-face
:23:57. > :24:06.with that every day. You have had people that have been unemployed
:24:06. > :24:13.for how long? 1976 is my record. Have you manage to get them back
:24:13. > :24:18.into work yet? We have signposted them to a provision. They are on
:24:18. > :24:23.the road back into the workplace. Given the attention there has been
:24:23. > :24:28.about Ruth Davidson's change of position on devolution, it was
:24:28. > :24:32.significant that David Cameron endorsed her strongly. She was not
:24:32. > :24:40.born into the Conservative Party, she chose it. She understands we
:24:40. > :24:47.have to be a party for all of Scotland, not afraid to look at how
:24:47. > :24:52.devolution can be improved. We are the Scottish Conservative and
:24:52. > :24:58.Unionist Party. We believe in Britain. But we put Scotland first.
:24:58. > :25:03.In doing so we seek to ask ourselves two questions. What kind
:25:03. > :25:08.of Scotland do we want to build? What kind of party do we want to
:25:08. > :25:12.be? We can talk to ourselves as perhaps we have too often in the
:25:12. > :25:17.past all we can have an open conversation with the people of
:25:17. > :25:22.Scotland about how we can meet their aspirations. We can hold on
:25:22. > :25:27.to the old ways and follow a path of slow decline, or we can choose
:25:27. > :25:32.to do something about it. We can choose to turn it around, choose to
:25:32. > :25:37.build a modern, Scottish Conservative party that speaks to
:25:37. > :25:47.the aspirations of mainstream Scotland. Scotland has moved on and
:25:47. > :25:47.
:25:47. > :25:53.we have to move on as well. No vote next year will not be a vote for no
:25:53. > :25:58.change. Scotland needs to change. A parliament that is more accountable
:25:58. > :26:04.to the people of Scotland. A Scotland that stands on its own two
:26:04. > :26:07.feet, but which does not stand on its own in the world. We need to
:26:07. > :26:13.find a devilish and settlement in Scotland which is stable and meets
:26:13. > :26:18.the aspirations of the Scottish people. It is time to resolve this
:26:18. > :26:24.for generations to come. We must lay the foundations for a stable
:26:24. > :26:27.and lasting settlement and union between our home nations. We will
:26:27. > :26:32.advance a set of clear, Conservative proposals for a
:26:32. > :26:37.stronger, more accountable, more responsible Scottish Parliament
:26:37. > :26:46.serving a dynamic and self- confident Scotland, proposals which
:26:46. > :26:51.will have our future prosperity at our core. A coherent Scotland is a
:26:51. > :26:56.society that flourishes, creating wealth, putting the wages in the
:26:56. > :27:01.pockets and purses of Scottish people. When we argue for lower
:27:01. > :27:05.income tax for ordinary Scots the SNP condemn us and claimed it would
:27:05. > :27:15.cost the Scottish Government money they cannot afford. It would not
:27:15. > :27:18.
:27:18. > :27:24.cost the Scottish Government a penny because it is not their money.
:27:24. > :27:28.It is the hard earned cash... It is the hard earned cash of Scotland's
:27:28. > :27:33.taxpayers and it belongs to them and they will spend it here where
:27:33. > :27:39.that spending will help secure and generate sustainable Scottish jobs.
:27:39. > :27:49.The tax powers of the Scottish Parliament must be used in only one
:27:49. > :27:50.
:27:50. > :27:55.way, to drive down the tax burden in Scotland. As Ruth Davidson done
:27:55. > :28:00.enough to quieten her critics. has been a difficult spell for Ruth
:28:00. > :28:05.Davidson because of the devolution question and the uncertainty and
:28:05. > :28:14.disquiet there is within the party conference and also she was not by
:28:14. > :28:19.any means the unanimous choice of the party. Most of the party's MSPs
:28:19. > :28:24.voted for others and that creates circumstances where she is bound to
:28:24. > :28:29.face difficult it. But some of the grandees point about which he did
:28:29. > :28:34.does not on occasion? It was notable David Cameron went out of
:28:34. > :28:39.his way to bolster her which is a sign there was an underlying
:28:39. > :28:43.problem in the first place. The best comment came from Annabel
:28:43. > :28:48.Goldie who characterised the critics as to why whilst looking